Tommy Fleetwood eyes ending ‘strange run’ and 25-year Open streak

You’d have to go back to Carnoustie in 1999 to find the last British winner of the Open Championship.

Scotsman Paul Lawrie eventually lifted the Claret Jug at the Angus links after Jean Van de Velde’s famous Barry Burn meltdown.

Since then, five British players have filled the runners-up spot in golf’s oldest major and one of them has sights on breaking the 25-year streak.

Tommy Fleetwood was only beaten by Shane Lowry at Portrush in 2019 before, again, finishing six shots off the winner at St Andrews in 2022, when finishing in a tie for fourth.

Now, with home pressure lifted, the 33-year-old wants to put the ‘strange run’ to bed.

Trying to explain why it’s been so long, Fleetwood said: “I don’t know because we’ve had a lot of good players, and it just doesn’t seem to happen.

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“Who knows if one breaks through and then there comes a flood of British winners. I think you look at tournaments that didn’t quite go the way of some British players in the past.

“There are definitely guys that have done enough, and it just didn’t happen. It’s just one of those strange runs, I feel like, that hopefully finishes sooner rather than later.”

Simply put, it’s difficult. And learning the craft on these unique venues makes the record harder to believe.

“Yeah, it’s a strange one because you think for all of us, we grow up, especially on the amateur circuit, playing a lot of links golf, and we’ve had some phenomenal golfers over the years.

“I guess it’s one tournament a year, so you get one opportunity a year. It’s not that easy. There’s always a lot of great golfers. But it’s hard. You can’t really put any rhyme or reason to it. It’s just the way it’s been.

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“Like I say, hopefully that streak can end, and we can put it right.”

The Englishman’s most recent win on any circuit was the Dubai Invitational in January.

It has been another incredibly consistent season for Fleetwood, at least, who has missed only one cut – at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

His chances of hoisting the Claret Jug this week are buoyed by the return of longtime caddie Ian Finnis.

“He loves The Open, and we’ve done well in this event in prior years,” Fleetwood added.

“So just being back to work together and going out tomorrow is very exciting, and it will be great. It’s great to have him back.”

John Turnbull A graduate of the University of Stirling, John joined the bunkered team in 2023 as a Content Producer, with a responsibility for covering all breaking news, tour news, grassroots content and much more besides. A keen golfer, he plays the majority of his golf at Falkirk Golf Club. Top of his 'bucket list' is a round of Pebble Beach... ideally in the company of Gareth Bale.